All eyes on Ronnie Dayan, Senator de Lima's 'driver-lover'

All eyes are on Ronnie Dayan, Senator Leila de Lima's driver and alleged lover, after President Rodrigo Duterte linked both to illegal drugs.
In his speech during the 115th service anniversary of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Camp Crame on Wednesday, the President called the lawmaker an immoral woman and described her driver as bagman.

"And here is a senator complaining, when one day, I will tell you that her driver—who was her lover—was the one who collected money for her during the campaign," Duterte said.

"Here is an immoral woman... here is a woman who funded the house of her lover. Those money came readily from drugs. The intercept between Muntinlupa and the driver were far beyond making sure that somebody was involved," the President added.

The Chief Executive was most likely referring to the convicted drug lords who are inmates at the national penitentiary, the New Bilibid Prison, and Dayan's house at Barangay Galarin in Urbiztondo, Pangasinan.

Just two days after the President's speech, Inquirer.net published a story about Senator de Lima's driver and alleged lover and where he lives. A photo of Dayan's residence, a big, two-story white house, is attached to the article.

Photo: Screenshot of Inquirer headline

According to the report, the Galarin neighborhood would neither confirm nor deny Duterte's allegation that the house was funded by the senator. De Lima herself refused to comment on the issue.

The following are salient points of the news article:

De Lima's driver and alleged lover also owns an orange bungalow, just 100 meters from the white house, where his children lives according to Barangay Chairman Rodolfo Licuanan. The village chief revealed that de Lima would stay in the white house while in town.

The Inquirer saw five motorcycles and a small truck in the garage of the white house and a car parked in the driveway of the orange bungalow.

An Urbiztondo resident told the Inquirer that De Lima and Dayan were often seen in the white house. "We would see them on weekends. She would arrive on a Saturday and leave on a Sunday," a resident said, according to the report. Occasionally, both are seen together buying vegetables and fish at the public market, another neighbor said.

Meanwhile, Senior Supt. Ronald Lee, PNP-Pangasinan provincial police director, said during a media forum on Thursday, August 18, that the financier in building the house is an "open knowledge." He said Dayan is just a driver and could not have bought that property by himself.

The police official also presented documents about an incident where Senator de Lima's driver and alleged lover punched a cop and threatened to kill a Barangay Tanod after they confronted him for indiscriminate firing during a drinking party in April 2014.

Also on Thursday, President Duterte said he will use several witnesses against Senator de Lima including the lawmaker's very own driver and alleged lover as well as Bilibid inmates.